School Daze

I drove my darling son, Crickles, to school this morning. I am alone in the house with two teenagers. The eldest son is totally absorbed in WOW (world of warcraft), of which, I am so not proud. However, with the dawning of a new school year this coming Monday, his use of the PC will be strictly for school; any use for WOW or otherwise will be only after he has completed all school work that is due on Monday, and, that means he will not get to use the PC in the gaming manner at all during the week.

This rule will apply to all three children, but most especially for Squirrel Boy.

The biggest mistake I ever made was bending to his constant begging to play this game. The trouble with the game (other than the obvious parents are always warned about) is that there are these quests their character will go on . . . that literally, can take hours. I reckon, ages, for some quests. It is irksome when I tell my son it's time to get off the PC, prepare for bed, and even though it's only 8pm, he does not march on my orders, because, "Mom, I'm on a quest! I can't quit now or the team members will never let me come on another quest with them." I used to ask, "How much longer then?" The answers will always be unintentional lies. Just trust me on that. He cannot know how long it will take to complete any one quest. Usually, he would tell me "twenty minutes" and an hour later he's saying "twenty minutes" to me again.

And, I regret not putting my foot in his backside for 1) disobedience (delayed obedience is also disobedience), 2) not respecting me at all on this gaming and keeping it under an hour a day, 3) allowing him to treat me this way.

I have a spine again and he loathes it. But you know what? I don't give a darn if he doesn't like me or my rules as long as he respects me and them.

The only reason I've allowed it to go on over the summer break is because there is almost nothing to do while 29 floors in the air when it's bloody hot outside and to see things you need money (more than we have, but only for the moment; but they don't understand that and they don't need to know anyway as my "no" is enough). He's 15 and "friendless" at the moment, but not forever.

He starts school Monday where he will start to make friends and get going on some kind of (hopefully) satisfying social life as well as (an expected these days; there again, my soft spine and not sticking to my resolves) a respectable academic life (i.e. straight A's or to the gallows, me boy). Once he busies himself with real life, the dislocated life he's leading now will lose importance and fade away.

By the way, it's really quite around here without my champion laugh-er! I can't wait to go pick him up from school.

I think I'll get back to my stitching to while away the time. I'm sure this is the best way to spend my down time so that Therese can enjoy a little something before her bundle of girl arrives.